Variation

Mechanical Designer

Contents

Technology & Combat Characteristics

Created as a further development of the RX-77-2 Guncannon, the RX-77-3 Guncannon Heavy Custom fixed some of its predecessor's issues and had better operational capability. Compared to the Guncannon, the Guncannon Heavy Custom had lower recoil when firing its 240mm Cannons. Furthermore, the cannons' rate of fire and ammunition feed system were also improved, leading to the Guncannon Heavy Custom having higher offensive power. The Guncannon Heavy Custom also has enhanced armor for better defensive capability, carried a heavier payload, and its backpack's propulsion system has a higher thrust output to offset the added weight and to improve mobility.

Some of these improvements were made to meet the Earth Federation Forces' demands; they wanted the Guncannon Heavy Custom to be capable of solo combat, as well as be able to form a homogeneous mobile suit team for group combat. There were also considerations to deploy such a team of Guncannon Heavy Customs alongside other mobile suit teams for cooperative battle. The performance of the completed Guncannon Heavy Custom was satisfactory, but the Earth Federation Forces ordered the development department to conduct further research as there were issues, such as its mobility, which could be improved upon.

As the Guncannon Heavy Custom only received a limited production run, it was thus an uncommon machine. During the Gryps War years later, units stationed in Jaburo were outfitted with panoramic cockpit monitor, linear seat, a new color scheme and used the same beam rifle as the RMS-179 GM II.

Armaments

60mm Vulcan Gun

A standard armament of many Earth Federation Forces's mobile suits is a pair of head mounted 60mm vulcan guns. These shell firing weapons have a high-rate of fire but little power and can't damage the thick armor of a mobile suit, though they can damage lightly armored areas such as the sensors. They are ideal for shooting down small, lightly armored targets such as missiles, small vehicles, etc.

240mm Cannon

Like the original Guncannon, the Guncannon Heavy Custom's main weapon is a pair of shoulder-mounted 240mm cannons. However, the Guncannon Heavy Custom's cannons have better offensive power due to a higher rate of fire and a better ammunition feed system. The recoil during firing has also been reduced, and although this issue is not completely eliminated, it does not cause much problem during practical use.

BAUVA*XBR-L Beam Rifle

The Guncannon Heavy Custom can be equipped with the same beam rifle as the RX-77-2 Guncannon. It is powered via an internal energy capacitor with an average charge of 15 rounds. Each beam is capable of tearing through the armor of enemy MS and MA. Maximum effective range of 2.8km.

BOWA·BR-S-85-C2 Beam Rifle

The same weapon as used by RMS-179 GM II, it has a power rating of 1.9 MW and is powered by a rechargeable energy cap. This beam rifle was used by the Guncannon Heavy Customs stationed in Jaburo during the Gryps War.

Hand Grenade

The Guncannon Heavy Custom has an unknown number of hand grenades stored in a rack on its left side armor. Various types of hand grenades can be stored.

History

During the early part of the Gryps War in UC 0087, at least one Guncannon Heavy Custom was known to have participated in the defense of the Earth Federation's Jaburo base.